I know that Iman Shumpert is not the player most Knicks fans expected or wanted the Knicks to take at 17. With Jimmer Fridette and Kemba Walker off the board many fans and experts had the Knicks landing on Chris Singleton or Kenneth Faried. But instead, the Knicks surprised almost everyone by selecting another guard in Iman Shumpert.
Shumpert in my opinion has incredible upside. Yes the Knicks could've done better with a big man, but with the forward responsibilities being handled by Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, they would've had to go for a center and at that point in the draft there were no centers worth selecting. So I do feel as though the Knicks made a good selection. They needed a guard to rotate in with Landry Fields who cooled down considerably during the second half of the season, Chauncey Billups who is aging and injury prone, and Toney Douglass who is coing off major shuolder surgery. They also needed major help on the defensive end. Shumpert provides that. He is a defensive specialist who the Knicks claim has the potential to grow into a prolific shooter.
One more upside to Shumpert is that he could be a possible trade chip this year if the Knicks wish to jump the gun and trade for Chris Paul before he becomes a free agent in 2012.
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